IP telephony adopted by major Saudi-based hospital

A key hospital in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, has announced the implementation of a brand new, sophisticated internet protocol (IP telephony) system covering its entire site.

The hospital – the Specialised Medical Centre Hospital (SMCH) – employs nearly 2,000 staff, including doctors, paramedics and support personnel. The SMCH also has capacity for more than 450 overnight stay patients, together with extensive outpatient facilities.

According to the SMCH, its new IP telephony system will offer all employees access to a number of state of the art facilities.

Included among these, it says, is a quality business VoIP (voice over internet protocol) service – incorporating both advanced call handling capabilities and the capacity for precision monitoring and detailed, real-time management reporting.

The new system, it says, also includes scope for unified communications (UC) applications, which provide for the efficient reception at a convenient terminal of communications transmitted by a varied range of media.

Current UC applications at SMCH are reported to involve the capacity to access voice messaging from any location within the hospital site.

A further key benefit claimed for the IP telephony system by the SMCH is the strong likelihood that it will help the hospital reduce its telephony-related costs – including those pertaining to business phone systems maintenance and charges for phone calls.

Commenting on the new implementation, SMCH IT director, Safi Dagher, said:

“We pride ourselves on providing the highest standards of care and treatment and have built a solid reputation at the forefront of healthcare in our region. Our communication approach is an integral part of these values [enabling] the hospital to deliver a professional, high quality service to patients and connect our staff effectively.”

Dagher said the hospital planned to further develop the IP telephony system to handle other essential medical communications – such as urgent calls for nursing assistance.